The Life In Between
by Nyneve
Summary: They'd been together for countless past lives, and would no doubt spend their next ones together. But in AC 199, nine very different women are just trying to survive in the world.
1. Chapter 1

_"I don't understand Usagi-chan...this can't be happening..."_

_"I know, I can't believe it either. I'm going to miss the next season of 'Sex and the City'!"_

_"How can you joke at a time like this, Usagi?!?! You're dying!!!"_

_From the bed, the small woman, grown smaller as the illness slowly sapped away at her life, smiled at her friends. "It's okay, Rei-chan. I accepted it a long time ago. I'm scared, but in my heart, I know that everything is going to be all right. We're all going to die eventually, right?"_

_"But Usagi-chan..."_

_"And we'll see each other again in Crystal Tokyo..."_

_"One thousand years from now?!?!?!"_

_The woman on the bed paused, then looked at the tallest woman in the room. "Puu-chan...we'll be together again before that, right?"_

_She didn't answer._

_"Puu-chan...answer me..."_

_Silence._

_"ANSWER ME!"_

_"Usagi-chan, calm down!" Monitors were beeping, and the woman on the bed was gasping._

_"Oh my god...Mina-chan get the doctor..."_

_The woman on the bed collapsed. "Answer me, Pluto..." she whispered, then she was still._

**L1, AC 187**

The little blond girl sat up in bed gasping, then looked out the window at the full moon.

"A dream...?" she murmured.

**ONE:**

**Life**

**Brussels, Belgium, AC 199**

_My name is Usagi Hisakata. I'm 19 going on 20, and I was born in the Sanc Kingdom. When it fell for the first time, my parents and I went up to the colonies where my dad got work as a contractor, but when Relena Peacecraft took over, we came back, and this time we stayed, even through Romefeller's rule. I even got to attend the princess's institution, although I didn't graduate near the top of the class. Still, I made some good friends, and I got a decent job..._

"So you had the dream again, Usagi-chan?"

"Yeah. I have it pretty often, actually. All I can see is some cancer patient or somebody laying on a bed, talking to people in the dark all around her. Her name's Usagi too, but I know she's not me," the young woman remarked as her bagel ejected itself from her toaster. _Crap I'm gonna be soooooo late...Une's gonna kill me..._

"How do you know she's not you? What if it's like, a vision or something?"

"That's silly, Mina-chan. Anyways, I'll talk to you later. I'm running late already."

"I will never understand why YOU of all people took a job that required you to be at work at 6 AM," Minako remarked.

"Bye, Mina-chan," Usagi remarked, closing her phone and dropping it in her purse as she shoved the bagel in her mouth and checked her watch. "Oh sfit!" she cried around the ring of carbs, then dashed to the front door. Jamming her feet into her shoes, she raced out of the apartment and down the stairs to the street. She could see the bus at the corner. Again, she cursed herself for not running track in high school, and kicked into high gear as she raced for the vehicle.

She made it just in time. For the doors to close and the bus to pull away. Letting out a screech of rage (which was muffled by the half-bagel still hanging out of her mouth, she quickly turned left and headed down the street. It was twelve blocks to Une's place, and she had approximately five minutes to get there.

Careening past other commuters, a few homeless people, and nearly tripping over a mangy stray dog, Usagi managed to finish the bagel without choking and at the same time zip up her jacket AND check the time on her phone again. Long pigtails streaming behind her, she left the urban area for the residential district where the streets were lined with trees and huge houses. Slowing in front of one, she raced through the open gates and up the winding drive to the garage. Climbing the steps to the house door, she reached for the knob.

The door opened, revealing a very displeased looking woman with long brown hair and a business suit. "You're late, Hisakata," Une remarked, walking past the younger woman and beeping her Benz's locks up.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Une. It won't happen again..." Usagi apologized, bowing her head and trying to look as sorry as possible. It always worked on men, but Une was hardcore. Considering she used to be the right-hand woman for Treize Khushrenada and was now the head of the Preventers organization, she had to be.

"It better not. Go get breakfast started. I'll be working late tonight, so I'll need you here until midnight at least. Also, I need the second floor guest rooms cleaned and the linens changed. We're having company over the weekend," Une remarked, getting in.

"Yes, ma'am," Usagi answered, not daring to raise her head until the Benz was heading down the driveway. Rolling her eyes, she let out a huffy breath. "Madam fortress mommy," she muttered, then turned around and went inside.

Depositing her coat and purse in the laundry room, she took her apron off the hook and tied it over her blue sweater and brown skirt. That was one perk of being Une's housekeeper and nanny; she didn't have to wear the stupid french maid uniform she had originally envisioned when Minako told her about the job. Sure the hours sucked, but the work really wasn't that hard (she kept the TV on all day) and it paid great. Plus the kid...

"Usagi!" A shrill voice called from the hall. The blond woman turned around and smiled at the little pink-haired girl standing in the doorway.

"Good morning, Mariemaia," she greeted warmly.

The child glared at her. "You're late. Again," she scowled, feigning rage. Usagi giggled and clapped her hands to her face.

"Oh please, Miss Mariemaia! Forgive me!" she cried theatrically. "It won't happen ever again! I swear!"

"Unless you stay up too late talking on the phone again, right?" Mariemaia hissed. "I don't know, Usagi..."

"Oh come on," Usagi answered, sounding a little more irritated. "I don't do it _that_ often!"

The nine-year-old gave her a look.

Leaning forward onto the butcher block in the center of the kitchen, the nanny folded her hands. "All right squirt, here's the deal. You get pancakes, and I don't have to listen to your lectures about my cell phone abuse. Sound good?"

Mariemaia narrowed her eyes and leaned onto the block, meeting Usagi's gaze. "Quit calling me 'squirt' and you've got a deal," she countered.

"Fine." They shook on it. "But really, Mariemaia, what are you even doing up this early? You don't even have to leave for two and a half more hours yet! If I were you, I'd be in my bed sleeping right now," Usagi remarked.

The girl shrugged, then took a seat at the table where her nanny had placed a glass of orange juice. "I didn't sleep well last night," she answered.

"Bad dreams?"

Mariemaia didn't say anything. Usagi didn't press. Her charge had been going to therapy regularly since she was seven and had been shot by her own grandfather upon failing to lead a revolution and take over the world. Add in the fact that Une wasn't the greatest parent (To be fair, she tried, but work always came first with her. Plus, Minako had told her about Une and Treize's love affair, and both were sure that Usagi's employer harbored some hostility towards her adopted daughter simply because she was the product of Treize's romance with another woman), and it was obvious that the kid was going to be a little screwed up. She was a genius at school, but had almost no friends, and she also had the tendency to get sick a lot. But for better or worse, Usagi liked the kid, even loved her a little. And even though they did squabble a great deal, she knew in her heart Mariemaia cared for her too.

Besides that, Usagi had learned the secret of helping Mariemaia out of her quiet spells, which was to talk about her own personal life until the kid got so sick of hearing it she told her to shut up. Usually she waited until Usagi started gushing about her boyfriend, but today she simply let it all pass. When the nanny put the stack of pancakes and syrup jug before her, she barely seemed to notice.

Sighing, Usagi sat down next to her. "All right kid, spill it. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine," Mariemaia answered robotically.

"Liar liar, pants on fire," the woman chided. "Come on, you know you can trust me. And if you're not gonna eat your pancakes, give 'em over. I'm not going to sit here and watch good food go to waste."

"I just got in a fight with her, okay?" the girl snapped. "That's why I couldn't sleep. And that's why I got up so early. I want to take advantage of all the time I have when she's not around. I want to be with you."

"Aw...I'm touched," Usagi smiled, putting an arm around her shoulders. "What was it about?"

"A grade."

The nanny winced. "Yikes...I know how that is. But you're like, really smart. How could you have trouble with a grade?"

"Group project."

"Oh," Usagi answered, only to well-aware of Mariemaia's issues when it came to working with others.

"It sucks!" she cried. "If I do everything myself, the others are just leeching off my grades. But if I try to make them work, then they pick on me! They say...they say..." Her breath was breaking up into little sobs, and her Usagi could see tears welling up in her blue eyes.

"Whoa, calm down, Mariemaia," she murmured.

"They call me dictator. Tell me I'm trying to rule the world. Shit like that..."

"Language," Usagi reminded gently, then squeezed her charge tightly. "I'm sorry, Mariemaia. What did you do then?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. We failed. And she spent all last night after you left lecturing me. I hate her!"

"You don't hate her, and you know it, Mariemaia," she responded, taking a tissue from the box on the counter and wiping the girl's eyes. "But do you want me to call you in sick today? You can help me out around the house. I'll tell your mom you had a fever when you got up. And I don't even have to lie about your appetite being gone..."

Mariemaia shook her head. "No, she'll know it's a fake. And you don't want to get her mad, Usagi, not on a day when you were late. I'll go."

She hugged her nanny tight. Usagi smiled. "Well, whatever your mom thinks, Mariemaia, I still admire your drive. I totally would have taken my offer if I were you. Plus I never did work on group projects anyways. It's a miracle I passed through class at all."

"Is that why you're stuck working as a nanny instead of having a real job?" the child giggled.

Usagi pulled her away. "Watch it kid, or you can kiss the oreos in your lunch goodbye."

"Sorry!" Mariemaia laughed. "Can you hand me the syrup, please?"

Happy to see a smile on her charge's face, Usagi gladly handed her the jug before heading down the hall to the basement stairs. Collecting the laundry at the bottom of the chute, she came back upstairs and began sorting it out on the butcher's block, turning on the news and quickly switching it over to a talk show.

"That stuff rots your bra-ain..." Mariemaia sang.

"Eat your fricken pancakes..." Usagi answered, matching her tone. After doing the laundry and breakfast dishes, she took out the supplies to make Mariemaia's lunch, helping herself to a few extra cookies and about half the jug of juice in the refridgerator. That was another stipulation of her contract with Une; she got all the free food she wanted, it just had to stay in the house. No making off with the prime rib.

When Ryan, the driver/handyman, came to collect Mariemaia and drive her to school, Usagi paused and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Mariemaia...I had an idea."

The girl tilted her head slightly. "What is it?"

"Do you want me to go talk to your teacher friday? Your mom gave me the afternoon off. I can go with Ryan when he picks you up and talk with her then."

Mariemaia's face lit up. "Would you, Usagi? That would be awesome!"

"I know. I'm awesome. Now go on, get out of here," she grinned, mussing her charge's short hair and waving to Ryan.

She spent her day cleaning the house and watching soaps on and off. Minako called her cell later in the day, allowing them to continue their gabbing from earlier that morning. Of course with Minako up in the colonies, it was really from earlier that evening (she was getting for bed right now). When they finally hung up, Usagi sighed. When Minako talked, it was always dramatic and interesting. She was determined to win the most eligible bachelor in space, namely Mr. Quatre Raberba Winner, but unfortunately he had his eyes on Usagi and Minako's school friend, Rei Taiyou. All three of them were very rich and powerful, making the drama in the triangle all the more delicious. And while Minako assured her that any gossip she could pull out of the Une household was just as savory, Usagi knew it couldn't hold a candle to what was going on in her friends' lives.

"Ugh...why doesn't anything interesting ever happen to me?" Usagi groaned as she sprayed Windex on the stained glass separating the kitchen from the dining room.

She thought her wishes were going to come true when the phone rang. So sure was she that this was THE life-changing phone call that she dropped the windex, knocking off the loose top and spilling the blue liquid all across the tile floor. However, she didn't seem to care as she scrambled across the room to the phone.

"Une residence," she answered, pushing one of her long pigtails over her shoulder.

"Hi, Miss Hisakata? This is Lucrezia Noin," the voice on the other end remarked.

Usagi's face fell. Damn. One of Une's business associates. Oh well, at least it was one of the nice ones. "Hello, Miss Noin. Ms. Une is out right now, can I take a message for you?" she offered, looking around for the pad and trying not to let her attention get drawn out the window at the beautiful spring weather. She was so used to these boring business calls that even the voice of a caller could instantly make her unable to focus.

"No, that's all right, Miss Hisakata. Or, well...I just wanted to say that I won't be able to make it there this weekend, but as far as I know, Zechs and Sally will be there."

"Zechs...and...Sally..." Usagi repeated, scribbling down the message on a napkin. She would write it on the pad later. Sally Po she'd met in person, and actually liked a great deal. Zechs she only knew from the news during the war. Would he be at the house this weekend? Would she be expected to work as usual?

"Miss Hisakata?"

"Sorry! Sorry, Miss Noin. I um...wandered off there a moment. Was there anything else?"

"No. I'll call back later this evening."

"All right. Thank you."

"Good bye."

"Bye."

Hm...company for the weekend. Had Une ever entertained before? Not that Usagi could remember, and she'd had the job for almost a year now. Oh well, you never really could tell what went on inside the lady's head. Usagi didn't think she was a bad person, not at all, but she was definitely weird, no question about that.

Removing her apron, she slipped her outdoor shoes back on again and headed out to the mailbox. Retrieving the treasures, she sorted through the multitude of bills and junk mail until she came to a flyer. Frowning, she opened it and peered at the picture of a black cat.

LOST: CAT. ANSWERS TO THE NAME LUNA. IS SOMEWHAT FRIENDLY. REWARD. IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL. WE MISS HER DEARLY.

Usagi frowned, looking for the number to call. There was none. No address or e-mail either. "Wow, you have to be REALLY stupid to forget to put a number on your flier," she mused. "That, or you don't really want your cat back." Her blue eyes fell on the black and white picture of the cat. It was a very ordinary-looking cat, save for a mark on its forehead that looked like a crescent moon.

A shiver ran down her back, for no apparent reason. Shaking her head, Usagi folded up the flyer and deposited it in her purse, then got out the bread to make Mariemaia's after-school sandwich.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sanc Kingdom, AC 195**

"You know if you spend much more time in front of the mirror you're going to be late for class," the dark-haired girl remarked as she rose up from the bed where she'd been sitting. Her companion and roommate, a blond wearing an identical rose uniform, paid little attention to her as she continued to adjust the red bow tying her tresses away from her pretty face.

"Correction: _we'll _be late," the girl replied, tucking a stray hair back into place.

The darker one rolled her eyes. "I'm not waiting for you, Mina. I know we don't have to worry about Miss Relena chewing anyone out for being late, but honestly, does a woman of your rank always have to be so late for everything?" Opening the door, she stepped out of the dorm into the hall, never once looking back.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Minako cried, dashing after her friend. Catching up with her at the elevator, her bright blue eyes narrowed into a piercing glare. "You can be so mean sometimes, Rei-chan."

Rei shrugged. "It's not my concern."

The elevator was empty when it arrived, giving the girls room to lean back on the rail and stare out the clear shaft to the gorgeous landscape of the campus. Minako sighed. "Well, maybe if you were nicer, you'd have more friends."

A ding from the elevator announced their arrival, and again, Rei took little notice of the remark. "Like I said, it's not my concern. We're not here to make friends, Mina."

"Don't let Miss Relena hear you say that," Minako murmured as they entered the school. Walking down the hall to the large classroom where their thirty-something other classmates (all girls in the same dress and blazer as them) were milling about, gossiping about the war and all that went with it. Only when the bell rang and Relena arrived did they order themselves and take their seats.

But to their surprise, she wasn't alone. Beside her was a short girl with long blond pigtails wearing the school uniform, smiling to beat the band and acting as though she were in a theme park, not a private institution.

"Ladies, this is Miss Usagi Hisakata. She's just moved here from the colonies and will be joining our class. Miss Hisakata, is there anything you'd like to say about yourself?" Relena glanced at the girl who was surely no younger than her, but definitely looked out-of-place amongst the young aristocrats before her.

"Sure! Well, like Miss Relena said, I'm Usagi. I was actually born here in the Sanc Kingdom, but I've lived in the colonies since I was two. My dad is a contractor and my mom's a teacher, and I also have an older brother named Shingo," Tilting her head slightly, the girl scanned the faces in the room. "I really hope I can be friends with all of you!"

Relena was beaming. "I'm sure we'll all be friends, Miss Hisakata. Now, why don't you take the seat over there, between Miss Gyousei and Miss Taiyou, and we'll start our discussion for the day."

Considering Rei's attitude that morning, Minako was actually grateful that the new girl would be coming between them. Giving her a friendly smile, she held out her hand to her as she sat down. "Hi! I'm Minako! I love your hair!" she whispered.

Usagi smiled back. "Thanks!" Turning around, she glanced at the darker girl on her other side. "And what's your name?"

The addressed girl didn't even look at her. "Rei," she answered shortly, then moved her desk into the circle quickly forming in the middle of the room.

**TWO:**

**Aphrodite**

**L4, AC 199**

"In other entertainment news, the up-and-coming pop idol from the colonies, Aphrodite, is in the studio again working on her second album. Her breakout CD, _Love Chain_, went platinum last christmas, and after finishing up the Earth-leg of a sold-out tour over the summer--"

The TV clicked off with a groan. "God, do these people never shut up?" Minako groaned, reaching into the candy bowl for another handful of jelly beans.

"Come now, Mina. Don't pretend like you don't love the publicity. Your ego is always starved for stroking," her companion, a tall, attractive woman with long platinum blond hair remarked.

Minako hesitated. "Dorothy, is that an insult?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Dorothy only laughed, evoking an eye-roll from the other woman. "I swear, sometimes you're as bad as Rei," Minako grumbled. Standing up, she brushed herself off and looked in the mirror. With only a few minor adjustments, everything was in place. Turning around, she looked back at her friend. "And speaking of Rei, you'll be at her party over the weekend, right?"

"Hm..." Dorothy tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Most likely. It's been a while since I've reunited with my old school friends. Too bad Miss Relena can't join us." A pause, and a half-interested glance back at Minako. "She can't, can she?"

"How should I know? I'm not in contact with her or anything!" she snapped. "And anyways, I don't think Relena's really interested in the activities of her old students. Furthermore, you were the only one who ever hung around with her. Up until the invasion..."

Another pause, an awkward one this time. Minako and Rei both knew about what Dorothy had done after the school was closed, when the former had sought shelter writing songs in England and the latter had returned to space to protect her home. Neither one really compared with joining up with White Fang and trying to destroy the world. Oh Dorothy could argue all she liked about how she didn't want to do it, how she tried to stop Quinze and Milliardo Peacecraft, but no one really believed her. Not even Minako.

She shook her head and continued on, pulling on her jacket and reaching for her purse. "But anyways, knowing Relena, she's got some sort of bureaucratic whatever going on down on Earth. Personally, I think Usagi should come, but..."

"Usagi doesn't exactly fit in, does she?" Dorothy murmured. Minako sighed and nodded in agreement. Her friend raised an eyebrow. "Well for goodness sake, Mina, it's not like it's YOUR fault she's poor."

"She's not poor! She's working for Lady Une, after all..."

"Good point. Noveau riche then," Dorothy conceded. "Well, I always got the feeling that Rei never liked her that much anyways. Then again, Rei doesn't seem to like anyone that much. Not even Quatre Raberba Winner."

Minako winced a little at the name, and knowing Dorothy, that was probably the intended effect. Indeed, she thought she could see a wicked little smirk on the woman's face. "I gotta go, Dorothy. I'll be late for my meeting."

"All right. See you this weekend!" Minako was already down the hall at the elevator when she saw Dorothy poke her head out the penthouse door. "Hey!" she shouted. "Maybe you should grace us with a performance at the party, Aphrodite!"

She pretended not to hear the comment, only slipping on her sunglasses and stepping into the elevator. Minako told herself she wasn't living a double life, since her family and closest friends knew about her career as a musician. Even when others, specifically members of colonial high society, began putting two and two together upon seeing pictures of Aphrodite and Minako, she didn't bother denying it. But tabloids always started snooping around in the lives of heiresses when there weren't any juicy stories about idols, and if she wasn't careful, the totally-not-secret life of Minako Gyousei would explode into the SHAMEFUL DOUBLE LIFE OF APHRODITE REVEALED! To hell with whatever Dorothy said about publicity, Minako wanted to keep her dignity.

It wasn't a long walk to the studio from Dorothy's, and as usual in the colonies, the artificial weather was perfect. But Minako preferred bad weather on Earth to good weather in space, and spent most of her walk daydreaming about both her tour over the summer and her time in the Sanc Kingdom.

So engrossed was she, that she almost walked right past the studio, only to be grabbed by the collar and dragged towards the door.

"Minako, I swear to god, if you don't get your head out of the clouds I'm going to freakin' kill you one of these days!" Alice, her manager, snapped as she hauled her most ungraciously into the lobby. "You were supposed to be here twenty-minutes ago! We're lucky her schedule was free and she was in a good mood! Otherwise we would have no backup for you and we'd be losing out on all the money this next single is going to bring in, and--"

"Whoa, Alice! Slow down!" Minako gasped, wriggling free from the older woman's grasp. "What are you even talking about? I thought we were just supposed to be meeting about a name for the album...?"

Her manager stared at her, then thumped Minako's forehead with the heel of her hand. "You are a total idiot! What did I tell you when you hired me? I said, "I'll always send you an updated schedule every morning, Minako. Check your e-mail every morning." Have I, or have I not, told you that a MILLION TIMES?!?!?!?!"

Minako shrugged. "I don't count."

Alice looked like she was going to explode, then took a deep breath. Minako could see her silently counting backwards from five. "Well, my e-mail this morning said that we would be having a meeting with Michiru Unabara."

Her employer gave her a blank look. "Who?"

The manager looked one step away from suicide, but a clear laugh rang out and Minako felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw a beautiful woman in her early twenties, with wavy blue-green hair and clear eyes of a similar shade. "Don't worry, if I were you, I wouldn't know me either," the woman remarked, holding out a hand. "Miss Gyousei, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Michiru Unabara, first violinist of the London Philharmonic."

"The pleasure's all mine," Minako replied with a smile. "And you can call me Mina."

"Well, ah, ladies," Alice remarked, trying to regain her senses. "Why don't we go into the conference room for some coffee and have a little chat. I think with a bit of brainstorming and an hour of experimentation, the colonies' most famous idol and Earth's most famous virtuoso should be able to come up with something..."

Indeed, as Minako clicked into business mode (after her second cup of coffee and third doughnut), she felt a good connection with the violinist. Although Alice had suggested that Michiru should provide core instrumentals for an already-written song, that idea was soon set aside when Minako asked for a demonstration.

And demonstrate she did. Picking up her violin, Michiru began a slow and mournful song, which slowly picked up pace until the sadness turned to rage. Minako closed her eyes and listened, feeling blurry words coming to mind. But before she could figure out what they were, the song was over.

Opening her eyes, the singer stared at the violinist. "Wow...I can see why you're first chair," she remarked, earning another laugh from Michiru.

"What can I say, it pays the bills," she replied.

"Is that Mozart or something? Or did you..."

"I wrote it, yes. Not too long ago, in fact. It doesn't even have a name yet," Michiru explained. "I was thinking that perhaps it could use some tweaking by someone who has a background in more...popular...music."

"You do? Can I?" Minako gasped. She was dimly aware of Alice murmuring something about how she didn't have time to work on another song, not with the dozen she already needed to record for the new CD, but she shook it off.

"Sure, but..." As if on cue, Michiru's cell phone went off. She gave the idol a guilty smile. "I'm afraid I have to catch a flight to L3. Perhaps if you don't mind working over the weekend...?"

Minako's face fell. "Well, I do have plans to go to a party..."

Michiru nodded and laid the violin in its case. "Of course, I understand."

"But wait!" the younger woman cried, an idea suddenly coming into her head. "Come with me, as my guest! My...friend, he plays the violin as well. He's very good, and I'm sure he's heard of you and would love to meet you. And the party's right here in the colony. We could work in the studio during the day and then go to the party in the evening!"

Her would-be collaborator looked hesitant. "You're sure it would be all right?"

"Of course! The hostess, Rei Taiyou, is practically my best friend." A slight exaggeration. "Well, she's my oldest friend." That was true. Minako, Rei, and Quatre had known each other since they were in diapers, and though they had been separated over most of their teen years, they never stopped considering themselves friends.

Michiru broke into a smile. "Then I would be honored to join you, Miss Gyousei. I will certainly be in touch over the course of this week."

"Just make sure not to e-mail her," Alice grumbled, earning a dirty look from the young idol. All three of the women walked to the door. A cab was waiting outside. Turning around, Michiru smiled. "It was nice meeting both of you."

"Nice meeting you too, Miss Unabara," Minako replied.

"Please, just Michiru," she corrected, then climbed into the car. It pulled away from the curb, then rolled down the street and around the corner.

Once it was out of sight, Alice dropped the happy facade and glared at Minako. "Don't think you're not in trouble just because you somehow managed to schmooze classical music's biggest diva, Missy."

"Diva?" she answered confusedly. "I don't get it...Michiru seems really nice."

"Yes, well...they say Miss Unabara's temper is like the sea. Perfectly calm one moment, a raging typhoon of death and destruction the next. I would back off if I were you. Besides, you're supposed to be the idol here, not the drooling fangirl."

"I was not drooling!"

"Oh please. When she was playing..."

Minako folded her arms huffily. "For your information, I was getting into the music because I _liked_ it. She's _talented._ And as a fellow musician, I can totally recognize stuff like that. I like, get into the feeling of it and I could feel the words coming. There's really good song waiting to be born between us, I just feel it," she finished thoughtfully, then glanced back at her manager. "But see, only people with _imagination, _who don't spend their time making stupid schedules and writing a billion e-mails a day know that."

Alice sighed. "Christ, I give up Minako. Go on, go do...Minako things. I'm gonna hit the bar."

Her face lit up, and Minako threw her arms around her manager. "I love you, Alice!" she remarked cheerfully, then slipped on her sunglasses and bounded out the door and down the sidewalk. Just as her head had been in the clouds on the way over to the studio, there it was again as she strolled through the colony's streets, which were growing busier and busier as rush hour progressed. When her phone started going off, it had already rung several times before opening it.

"Hello?"

"Mina?"

She tried not to gasp. "Quatre! Hi! What's up?"

"What are you doing?" the young man on the other end asked. Even the sound of his voice made her heart pick up. "It's really noisy..."

"Yeah, I'm walking home from the studio. Do you want me to call you back when I get home?" Minako asked, looking back and forth as she crossed the streets.

"Well, I was calling because Rei left a strange message on my voicemail. I'm going to be stuck in a meeting until later tonight so I was wondering if you could check on her..."

Her face fell. Of course, as Rei's best friend (scratch that, oldest friend...scratch that too, since Minako was probably Rei's _only_ friend), she couldn't exactly say no to the request. "Yeah sure, no problem. But before you go, I've got some big news for you. About this weekend."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you won't believe it. Today--"

A car horn cut off her words and the phone went flying across the pavement. Minako had just enough time to see a yellow sports car braking towards her when something slammed into her body, grazing her skin on the rough sidewalk.

Groaning, she looked up and into the deep green eyes of a very pale man. White hair as long as her own covered them both, and as a strand of it lay across her cheek, Minako was shocked at its softness.

Slowly the man climbed off of her. "Are you all right?" he asked, his eyes never leaving her own.

She blinked, and was suddenly aware of the commotion around her. Other people were grabbing onto her, asking if she was all right. The yellow car was nowhere to be seen. As if in a dream, she nodded, then searched for her voice. "Yeah...a little skinned, but I'm okay," she answered, as it slowly lurched up into her mouth.

Bending down, the man picked up her phone, which was, amazingly, unbroken. "I'm glad," he answered.

From the earpiece, Minako could hear Quatre calling her name frantically. Raising it to her ear, she took a few deep breaths. "Quatre?" she asked.

"Mina! Thank God! I heard car horns, and then a crash...are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital? Mina?"

"I'm here, Quatre," Minako answered. "I was saved...saved by...where...?"

The pale man was gone.

"Listen to me, Mina. Go home. I'll be there as soon as possible, okay? Don't worry about Rei, just go home and stay there. Please, Mina. I'll call your phone every five minutes until I get there."

"Yeah, okay." She felt numb. On any other occasion, the chance at spending personal, one-on-one time with Quatre would have made her flip out beyond all compare. But the events of the past few minutes (Minutes? They could have been years, for as long as they felt) had her in shock. She didn't even realize she had continued walking home until she was at the door of her building.

Sure enough, Quatre called just as she got in the elevator. And then he called again when she was laying on the couch in her penthouse living room. And once more when she was getting a drink of water. Finally, she heard the knock on her door, and called out that it was unlocked.

"I got here as fast as I could, Mina. Are you okay? How are you feeling?" he asked, removing his coat and scarf and taking her by the shoulders. Staring into her eyes to check for dilation, Minako suddenly remembered herself, and blushed when she realized how close she was to the object of her unrequited infatuation.

"I'm fine, Quatre, really," she replied, not removing his hands from her yet. "I wasn't looking where I was going, and I stepped out in front of a car. My phone went flying, so that's probably why it sounded so bad to you."

He looked at her thoughtfully. "And you said you were...saved?"

Minako shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, by some guy who just came out of nowhere. Went right back to nowhere too, after he asked if I was okay."

Quatre frowned. "Sounds strange to me..."

"No kidding. You weren't even there," she replied.

The young man cracked a smile. "Well, you seem okay now. Still though, just lay down and rest, okay? Are you hungry? I can make dinner for you if you want..."

Minako blinked in surprise, and felt her face growing hot again. "You're staying?"

"For a little while, yes. Just to make sure you're really okay, and not trying to fool me. That's okay, right?" Quatre asked, tilting his head slightly.

She turned away quickly. "Yeah, of course, That's...really sweet of you. But you don't have to make dinner for me. Just order some Indian or something. I'm going to go take a bath."

"Good idea," he agreed. "I'll let you know when the food gets here."

Giving him a quick smile, Minako fled into her bathroom. "This is so stupid," she muttered to herself. "You're acting like a fricken' high schooler, Mina! He's one of your best friends! He's dating your bes--your friend...well...sort of. Why should you be getting so flustered around him?" She looked in the mirror. "Because he's gorgeous," she answered herself, matter-of-factly. "And sweet, and rich, and a gentleman...that's why he came over tonight, right? Because he was worried about me. His friend. And a lady. He believes in chivalry, right?" Untying her bow (which was still crooked), she let her hair down and paused, letting the thoughts in her mind flow out of her mouth. "Unless...maybe I've had him pegged wrong all along. Maybe Rei's not the one he wants after all. Maybe...just maybe..."

She could hear him on the phone now, ordering the food. Or...wait...

"I'm really worried about you, Rei," Quatre said, his voice soft but seeming loud as a jet engine to Minako in her silent bathroom. "I'm sure Minako will be fine, she bounces back from things like this all the time. But you...you haven't been yourself lately. I wish you would tell me what's wrong...don't lie to me Rei! I know something's bothering you, I can feel it. You know what I mean!"

He was quiet for a while. "Yes...yes, I understand Rei. Well, I'll come over when I'm done here. Please wait for me." Quatre set down the phone. "Rei..." he murmured, just loud enough for Minako to hear.

The feeling dropped out of her again, and she turned on the tap in the bathtub, driving all silence from the room with the sound of scalding, rushing water.


	3. Chapter 3

**Someplace in Space**

"Please...you're making a huge mistake!" the man stammered.

"I don't think you're really in the position to be judging right and wrong," the calm voice of the masked figure answered coolly as it circled around the chair where the panicking victim was tied. The gender was indeterminate; either a man or else a very flat woman. The man hadn't been worried at first because such a slender frame hid the strength the assailant later used to knock him unconscious and drag him to this godforsaken place.

"What is it you want then? Money? I can give you plenty of money, I promise!" he cried, shaking in his bonds.

His captor had pulled out a knife.

"Money? What good is money going to do me? No, I don't want money, Clancy Douglas of White Fang."

"White Fang?"

"Do you deny it? That you were once a rebel who sought the destruction of the very Earth that spawned you?"

"No! Please, I'm begging you! I was only following orders! I didn't even do anything! I only--"

"I've had it with your lies. Rot in hell with the others."

"No!"

The knife slashed. Blood spurted everywhere.

A rose floated softly to the ground, landing in a crimson pool where it remained untouched until morning.

**THREE:**

**Newsflash**

**Space Flight No. 367 from Earth to L4**

_Former White Fang member found dead at natural resource satellite MO-I. The victim, Clancy Douglas, 31, suffered multiple knife wounds and died of blood loss some time in the night. Douglas is the fifth victim in a string of murders that began earlier this year. All victims were members of the White Fang rebellion of 195, and were found with knife wounds. In addition, a single red rose was found at each crime scene. Colonial law enforcement and the Preventer Intelligence Agency have no suspects at this time..._

Rolling his eyes, the braided man folded up the newspaper and tossed it into the empty seat beside him. "Man, what in the world are Wufei and the others _doing_ if they're not trying to catch this psycho?" he murmured, looking out the window. _Going after White Fang, hm? Someone's got a grudge..._

"Excuse me, sir," the red-haired stewardess remarked, coming up beside his seat with her metal cart. "Can I offer you anything?"

Turning to gaze at her, his indigo eyes slipped her a wink. "Sure thing...Naru," he remarked, reading her nametag. "I'll take whatever you've got for whiskey."

"Can I see your ID please?" she asked.

His face instantly fell. "Well, you see..."

Rolling her eyes, Naru continued pushing the cart forward. Grumbling indignantly, he sank into his seat.

"Goddammit...Quatre better have a stocked bar..."

**Taiyou Estate, L4**

Quatre bit his lip as he slowed his car in front of the gatehouse. He always had trouble getting into Rei's place, if not from Rei herself than from the lawyer that was determined to keep the number one enemy of the Taiyou family away from the heir. But tonight it seemed he was in luck; Yuuchirou was on duty. The young man was far more easygoing than any Rei's other employees, and although Quatre suspected that he had a bit of a crush on the girl, he was thankful for Yuuchirou's cooperation in getting him in. With only a wave, the gate opened and Quatre nudged the Audi forward.

Parking in the circle drive in front of the main entrance, he glanced up at the sky. The weather system was scheduled for rain, and it looked like it would be arriving any minute. Well, that certainly wouldn't help his mood, but he would try to ignore it.

Ascending the steps, Quatre rang the bell, then stepped back to wait for Maya the housekeeper. She too was helpful when it came to his relationship with the mistress of the house, although she watched Rei like a hawk and had warned Quatre on several occasions that if he was ever less than honorable towards her he would regret it. But when the door opened, it was not Maya that stood there.

"I told Yuuchirou he would be fired if he let you in again."

The man standing before him was tall, with dark blue eyes and hair as fair as his own. Dressed in a flawless business suit and wearing glasses that made his eyes seem sharper than usual, the look on his face was one of pure disgust.

"I just want to see Rei, Kaidou..." Quatre said calmly.

"You don't have any reason to. Besides that, she doesn't want to see anyone right now. I suggest you leave the premises immediately, Mr. Winner," Kaidou answered.

Irritation was rising in the younger man's heart. "Don't you think Rei should be telling me if she wants to see me or not?"

Kaidou adjusted his glasses. "Miss Taiyou specifically asked to be left alone."

"But I don't recall putting _you_ in charge of anything, Kaidou," a feminine voice stated.

From behind the tall man, the smaller, darker figure of Rei appeared, looking none too pleased. Quatre was well aware of how she felt about her father's lawyer. Though she had confided about having a crush on him at a younger age, since becoming head of the Taiyou family following Takashi's death, Rei and Kaidou had been at odds. In the will, old Taiyou had arranged for the better part of his wealth to be left to his daughter, but until she turned twenty-one the money was to remain under the authority of Kaidou, who also liked to think Rei herself was under his authority.

The tall man's icy stare met the girl's flashing one, and finally he surrendered. "My apologies, Miss Taiyou." He bowed slightly, but not enough to display honest regret.

She didn't care. "I think you should go home for the evening, Kaidou. You can come in early to finish your work in the morning." Her eyes were daring him to disagree with her, but being the elder and, in his mind at least, more mature one, Kaidou only nodded.

"Very well. I will see you tomorrow, Miss Taiyou."

Only when the lawyer was gone did Rei turn her attention to the younger blond man still in her presence. The emotion on her face was unreasonable, but Quatre knew it wasn't joy. Something stinging bit into his heart when she turned her back on him.

"I asked you not to come tonight, Quatre," she stated, walking down the hall towards her music room. He followed along easily.

"I know, but..."

"What about Minako? Is she all right?" Rei asked, still not looking at him as she sat down at the piano in the middle of the large room. She did not play, only moved her fingers lightly along the keys, determining if she should indeed try to coax music from the piece or let it sleep.

"She'll be fine. She had quite a scare, but after she'd had a bath and some food she assured me that she'd be fine." Gaze softening, Quatre stepped forward and put a hand on Rei's shoulder. "Mina wanted me to check on you too. She's starting to get just as worried as I am."

"There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine." Her voice was ice cold, but he didn't drop his hand.

"You're not. You sounded like you were crying when you left that message canceling dinner tonight. And you've been more reclusive than usual." Quatre hesitated, then knelt down beside the piano bench and looked up into his friend's eyes. She seemed to have grown pale, and her chilliness had morphed into a distance that struck a chord of fear into his heart. "Rei...the anniversary of your father's death is coming up soon, isn't it?" he said softly.

"Is it?" she murmurmed, sounding absent and unsure. "I wasn't aware..."

"Sunday," Quatre nodded. "The day after your party."

At the word "party," she seemed to fall back into herself. Blinking, Rei looked at Quatre and tried to give him a small smile. "The party...I'm sorry, that's really the cause of most of this. I haven't held such a large event in a long time, and it's really stressful." Standing up, she closed the lid on the keys harder than she meant to, making Quatre jump a little in surprise. Rei smiled, and took his hands in hers.

"I'm fine, Quatre, really," she remarked, trying to sounds as reassuring as possible. "You always worry so much about everyone. Isn't it a burden, being that kind?"

"Not at all," he whispered, lacing his fingers with hers. Once more, as on so many other occasions, Quatre fought the urge to pull the young woman to him and kiss away whatever darkness dwelled within her. But he didn't dare. Rei would never accept it any more than she would accept any other kind of help from him.

She did allow his hands to remain twined with hers for several more moments, before loosening her own grip and pulling free. "I'm going to get ready for bed, Quatre. You should go home."

"You're sure you're going to be all right, Rei?" There was still concern in his eyes and voice, but the girl waved it off.

"I'm always all right," she replied. "I'll see you this weekend, okay?" Moving to his side, she raised herself up on her toes a bit to place a light kiss on his cheek. Smiling, she went to the door. "Good night, Quatre."

"Good night, Rei," he answered, walking himself to the door without ever once looking back (even though he was tempted to more than once).

She watched his car pull away from her bedroom window. Fist clenched, Rei bowed her head and shut her eyes.

"Damn it, Quatre...when are you ever going to let me go?"

**Winner Estate, L4**

"It has now been four months since the the excavation team from the Lunar Museum has gone missing. The group of four geologists and archaeologists hailed from Earth and the colonies alike, and was last seen entering the Sea of Serenity in a Cernan-Duke LRV on Thanksgiving. Radio gave out a week later, prompting a search of the Lunar surface, but so far no evidence has--"

The TV clicked off and the viewer groaned. "Jeez, when's the last time there was ever any _good_ news on the news? Serial killers, missing persons...no wonder people get depressed."

Hopping to his feet in one fluid motion, the braided man glanced at the clock. It chimed 9 o'clock. "Hm..." He moved to the window, appearing as an ominous black silhouette to any that should pass bye. "Quatre should be getting home soon..."

Sure enough, there was the white Audi coming up the driveway. When it slowed and stopped, the driver happened to glance up at the window where the dark man had been standing, a window now empty. Frowning a little, Quatre reached into his pocket where the remote to his house alarm was kept. Keeping it in hand, he carefully entered the dark house.

Immediately upon opening the door, he could've sworn he heard footsteps upstairs. Not pausing to take off his coat or shoes, the young businessman quietly ascended the steps and opened the door to his study.

"Man, what took you?"

Quatre sighed in relief and relaxed upon recognizing the voice. "Duo!" he cried, flicking on the light to see his old friend leaning against the wall, devilish smile on his handsome face. "How did you get in here?"

"Magic," Duo replied matter of factly, moving away from the hall to accept an embrace from the shorter man. "You're a tough guy to get a hold of, so I figured I would just take the direct approach."

The blond man smiled. "It's really great to see you, Duo. But maybe take it easy on the stealth next time. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Oh come on. Quatre Raberba Winner, head of the Winner construction empire and a former Gundam Pilot? Scared of little ol' me?"

His friend laughed, then removed his coat and tossed it over the chair. "Come on, I'll make us some coffee," he offered, leading the braided man out of the study and down the stairs. "So what are you doing here anyways? You can't be here for just a visit?"

Duo sniffed indignantly as they entered the kitchen. "And why not? A guy gets nostalgic, you know. Maybe I just wanted to visit my old war buddies and talk about the good old days."

Quatre raised his head from pouring the coffee into the grinder and gave him a look that expressed total disbelief at that excuse.

Facade falling aside, Duo sighed. "Okay, so Hilde's been hinting to me that she needs some 'private time' with her 'friend' Ilsa. She told me it would be a good idea to take a week or two's vacation so they can 'get reacquainted'."

"Wait a minute...Duo, are you saying Hilde's a...?" Quatre's blue-green eyes widened.

"Lesbian? Yep. I know, shocked me too. Here I thought she had it bad for me, but nope. We are now eternally stuck in the Friend Zone." Duo crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. "Man, it's not fair. I get two girls and they're only interested in each other. You get two girls and they're practically throwing themselves at you!"

"What?" His friend coughed. "Where did you hear about that?"

The wicked smile returned as Duo reached into his pocket and pulled out a rolled-up tabloid. On the sidebar of the cover was a picture of Quatre, with an arm each around Rei and Minako. The photo had been taken at the launch of Mina's tour by a private photographer she had hired for the occasion ("I want a picture of me with my two oldest friends!" she had said). Quatre silently cursed the man, simultaneously wondering how much he'd gotten for the picture.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Duo," he explained, taking down two cups from the cupboard. "All three of us are really old friends. And technically Rei is my political rival. There's nothing going on between us." _Unfortunately _he wanted to add as he poured the coffee and set one cup down in front of Duo.

"Well then, there should be!" Duo insisted. "Maybe if you're not going to make a move _I _will. Either of them single?"

Quatre laughed. "Duo, you never change," he smiled, raising the cup to his lips.

After they'd finished their coffee, the braided man put his hands behind his head. "So, Mr. Winner, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

"I've got some meetings with the colony board about prospective weather system upgrades, and then I'm supposed to deliver a report on the company's current projects. Plus I should probably try to get in touch with some of my sisters and see how productivity at the resource satellites is going..."

"Ugh. Sounds awful," Duo remarked. Leaning forward, he glanced around, looking for anyone who might be listening in on the conversation. "If you ask me, I think you should play hooky."

"What? Duo, I can't..."

"Sure you can! You look 'sick' to me!" he insisted. "Besides...I was thinking of taking a run over to L3 tomorrow to check out the circus. No doubt Trowa would love to see you."

That piqued the businessman's interest. "You're going to see Trowa?"

The man in black smiled. Sold. "Mmhmm. Come on, we'll get up early, sneak out on the first flight over there, spend the night, be back in time for...whatever's going on Friday. It'll be fun."

Quatre was on the verge of saying yes, but suddenly fell back. "I don't know..."

"Oh come on!" his friend cried. "Live a little. They'll survive without you for one day here. Besides, you owe it to yourself. Call it a mini-vacation."

"Well..." It _had_ been a long time since he'd seen Trowa... "Okay."

"Great!" Duo cried. "Oh, by the way, it's okay for me to crash here for the next week or so, right?"

Quatre sighed.

**L3**

"Despite the disppearence of a four-person excavation team last winter, the Lunar Museum will still be holding its Gala Opening on Friday, June 21. Museum patrons and celebrities alike are expected to attend the event, during which exhibits on Moon Mythology, Early Lunar Exploration, and a prototype Lunar Civilian Village will be open, as well as the highly anticipated Core Elevator..."

"Man, I would give _anything_ to go to that party!" the young curly-haired woman remarked as she set down a pastry and coffee in front of her customer. The small TV was perched up in the corner of the little cafe, and both the tall proprietor and the short, bookish patron had their eyes fixed.

"I wouldn't," the other woman remarked. "But Greg's brother is on the board of trustees, and Greg has been dropping hints since Christmas that he'd love to get tickets."

Her friend groaned. "Ami, I don't get you! It's a museum! You get to dress up fancy, look at science-y things, and have great food! Where's the downside?"

Ami shrugged. "I just get really uncomfortable at parties," she explained, taking a sip of the coffee. "And besides, I know nothing there will be half as good as anything you could serve, Mako."

Makoto colored slightly. "Well, I don't know about _that..._" She sighed. "But still, if you _do_ go, you'll have to take lots of pictures. And oh! Let me come with you to get a new dress! You'll definitely need something to make you look like a princess at a fancy party like that."

"Mako..."

But the woman wasn't listening. Going back into the kitchen, she began cleaning up shop and taking a quick inventory for tomorrow's selection of bakery and sandwiches. Only when she heard the bell at the door ring did she step out again, intending to inform the guest she would be closing up in approximately ten minutes. However, her expression changed when she saw the tall man standing at the counter.

"Trowa! How are you?" Makoto smiled. "Have a seat...cup of coffee?"

He nodded, then glanced over at the booth where Ami was sitting. The smaller woman smiled and waved, and he returned the action before joining her. When Makoto brought the coffee (as well as a fresh cup for Ami), she had her pad ready. "So, you gotta be hungry. What'll it be? Piece of pie? Cake? Sandwich?"

"You're still serving food this time of night?" Trowa asked in surprise.

Makoto winked. "For my best customers, of course. Tell you what. I've got some cookies just about to come out of the oven that I was going to take home. How about a few of those to dunk in your coffee?"

Although half of his face was hidden by a long curtain of auburn hair, Makoto could still tell he was smiling. "Sounds great, Mako." When she scurried off to the kitchen, he turned to the woman sitting across from him. "So, how's your husband, Mrs. Urawa?"

"Greg's fine. He's just been promoted to chief-of-staff at the medical center, so he's been working a lot, but he really does enjoy it," Ami replied.

"And you're still running the children's clinic?"

She smiled. "You have a really good memory, Mr. Barton."

"You can call me Trowa," he corrected. Although Makoto considered her two best customers to be her two closest friends, Ami and Trowa were both so quiet that it had taken them forever to even get on conversational terms, let alone a first-name basis (although both insisted they call each other by their given names, both were reluctant to actually do so). But that was fine if Makoto was around, since she was usually talkative enough for both of them.

"So, Trowa," she remarked, bringing out a plate of fresh cookies. "What's new at the circus? I keep meaning to come see the show, but business has been crazy lately."

"There's a new guy," the man answered, taking one of the cookies. "A motorcyclist. Catherine's convinced he's crazy, pulling off the stunts he does."

"Oh that's right! I got one of the fliers in the mail yesterday! He's premiering tomorrow night, right? What's his name again?" Makoto tapped her chin, trying to remember.

"Angel."

The women stared at him. "Are you serious?" Makoto asked.

Trowa nodded. "He says he can go so fast, it's like he's flying. If you want, you can come see for yourself. I can let you in backstage."

"That's very generous of you," Ami remarked.

"Yeah, thanks!" She turned to her friend. "We should go together, Ami! I'll close up early, you said you don't have any appointments after three...it'll be a blast! And Trowa and Catherine can hit the bars with us afterwards!" she winked.

All three of them laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

**L4, Present**

Minako had never felt more like a single woman than she did now, as she found herself eating a pint of ice cream and watching soap opera recaps on TV. She had told Quatre to leave as soon as she had gotten out of the tub, insisting that she was fine. The truth was, she couldn't bare to be there with him, knowing his thoughts were with Rei. It was just one more bitter reminder that she was stuck in the "friend zone."

Frankly, she had no need for it.

Midnight came and went, and even though she would have to be at the studio in about six hours, Minako had no intention of sleeping. If she slept, there was the chance she would have to deal with uncomfortable and impossible dreams, and that would only make her feel worse in the long run. No, right now she was content to numb her brain with Triple Brownie Fudge and bad acting.

She was just beginning to lose feeling when suddenly her phone went off, sending her crash landing back to reality. Groaning, she didn't even look at the ID before opening it. "Hello?"

"MIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Minako nearly dropped the phone at the sound of the wail. It was Usagi, of course. She didn't know anyone who had a voice like that, with the power to shatter glass in space. After the scream, she had gone into a series of moist ramblings. It was obvious she was crying, but Minako knew that could have been about any number of things.

"Whoa, Usagi...slow down, rewind, start over," she said, setting aside the ice cream tub and folding her legs. She knew it was petty and mean, but now that she knew something was obviously wrong in Usagi's life, her own trouble seemed a little better.

"Motoki broke up with meeeeeeeeee!" Usagi sobbed. "He...he's wants to _see other people!_"

A blond eyebrow arched up. "Um, Usagi? That's not necessarily breaking up..."

"Yes it is! He doesn't love me anymore!"

Minako sighed. Usagi and Motoki had been dating for about a month, a little less. And as usual, she had been convinced it was true love. And as usual, her--enthusiasm, for lack of a better word--had scared the poor guy off. And yet again, she found it necessary to call her best friend in the middle of the night to sob about it.

Luckily, all of this practice had allowed Minako to learn by heart a consolation speech that she was convinced could be marketed and sold to the masses if she ever got the entrepreneurial spirit.

"Usagi, this is just a sign that it wasn't meant to be. And don't you remember all the times you've said that Motoki never had time for you? Well, now you don't have to worry about that anymore. And don't worry about being single. You're a young, beautiful woman with a good job and a great personality. Sooner or later, you'll get another guy. And who knows? Maybe this time he'll be 'the one'," she droned, repeating the words she had spoken several times before (with "Motoki" replaced with several other names).

On the other end of the line, Usagi's sobs had waned to sniffles. "You're right, Mina. Thank you so much. You're such a good friend. I'm sorry I woke you up."

"It's okay, I was up anyways."

"Oh, okay. Hey, can I come visit you next weekend? That was gonna be mine and Motoki's one-month anniversary, and I don't wanna be alone..."

To Minako's surprise, this actually sounded like a good idea. Usagi was well aware of the Quatre situation, and was usually good for a little griping. Now that both found themselves frustrated in love, they would both be more sympathetic to each other's situation. "Yeah, that'll be fun. I'll order a ticket for you over the weekend."

"Thank you Mina! You're the best!"

They made five minutes' worth of small talk, then hung up. Minako sighed a little and hugged her pillow, happy she was able to forget Quatre for fifteen minutes at least.

**FOUR:**

**Mystery Man**

**Brussels, Belgium, Present**

"I don't know _why_ you're making a big deal about this, Usagi. He's just a stupid guy..." the small girl at the table remarked as she sipped at her orange juice. The housekeeper had been in tears ever since showing up that morning. Of course, Lady Une hadn't given it a second thought as she gave the day's orders and took off, but for Mariemaia, who still had twenty minutes until it was time to leave for school, the constant whining was becoming obnoxious.

"He's not just a stupid guy! He was _my _stupid guy! We were gonna--"

"What, get married? Get over it, Usagi. You always say that and you've never been married even once!" The girl snapped. Turning her attention back to her breakfast, she continued in a calmer voice. "Besides, Motoki wasn't even that good for you. He was too tall."

"Too tall?" Usagi turned around and glared at her charge. "Are you calling me short, Mariemaia?"

"Well you won't be having a career in basketball anytime soon," she replied, picking up her dishes and depositing them in the sink. As she did, she felt the housekeeper grind a fist into the top of her head.

"Well you're no giant yourself, Mariemaia!" she cried.

Whirling around, the pink-haired girl grabbed one of her nanny's pigtails and jerked hard. "I'm nine, stupid! What do you expect?"

"I expect you to show some manners! I _am _in charge of you, after all!"

"You started it!"

"Um..."

Both girls (now involved in a hair-pulling, face-pinching contest), turned to see Ryan standing in the doorway. "I was just wondering if Miss Mariemaia was ready yet. There's been an accident and the main road is closed, so I'd really like to get going early..."

Nanny and charge instantly released their hold on each other. "Yes, Ryan, I'll be right there. Just let me get dressed..." Mariemaia replied.

"And I'll get your lunch," Usagi added. A few minutes later, the housekeeper was waving as the limousine pulled out of the driveway and vanished down the street. Once it was gone, she sighed. Usagi hated it when Mariemaia was right about things. Normal nine-year-olds weren't supposed to be as smart as her, but then again, Mariemaia was far from normal...

Going back inside, she finished up the dishes and got out the chemicals for cleaning the kitchen. Throwing herself into her work, Usagi managed to keep her boyfriend troubles off her mind until about noon, at which point she had completed the kitchen and now found herself starving. Luckily, Une had brought home leftover cheesecake last night and told the maid to help herself. Even better, there were only two pieces missing from the pie. Though by the time Usagi had finished, the entire tin was completely empty.

After rinsing it out, she slipped into her shoes and took it out to the garage where she deposited it in the recycling bin. The sight of such a full container reminded her that tomorrow was garbage day, and with some effort she lifted the plastic bin and carried it out to the curb. She was just about to set it down when she heard a scream.

Letting out a shriek of her own, she stumbled backwards and tripped over a stick that happened to be laying on the blacktop. Losing her balance, Usagi crashed to the ground, recycling bin on top of her. Groaning, she pushed off the rubbish and looked around to see just what had caused her embarrassing mishap.

She spotted it right away.

Sitting on its haunches at the end of the driveway was a skinny black cat. It was staring at her with wide orange eyes, and was now completely silent. Leaping to her feet, Usagi took a few steps backwards. "Oh crap...black cat...I'm gonna have bad luck all day!"

Looking around for something she could use as a weapon, she picked up the pie tin from the cheesecake and tossed at the animal. It let out a yelp and darted into the street. Turning around, it stared at Usagi one more time, and this time the maid noticed the strange mark on the cat's forehead. It was a bald spot that looked like a crescent moon. She recalled the missing cat flyer she'd seen, just in time for the creature to vanish into the brush on the other side of the road. Usagi rolled her eyes. "No wonder they lost it. Still, who'd want such an unlucky pet?"

Bending over, she set about the daunting task of picking up every bottle and can that had spilled out of the bin, cursing the cat the whole time. It was only when she had put the last soup can in the container that she noticed the car parked across the street.

She wasn't good at recognizing makes of cars, but the knew for sure that one was a Lamborghini Diablo. Silver, spotless, and very, very fast. Although Lady Une lived in a wealthy neighborhood, Usagi knew for a fact that none of the doctors, lawyers, or politicians who lived nearby drove such a vehicle. Squinting, she could almost make out the silhouette of someone behind the tinted windows.

Then the someone made it easier by opening the door and stepping out.

Usagi's jaw hit the ground. He was absolutely gorgeous. Long platinum blond hair, piercing blue eyes, a killer body in what had to be Armani...and he was headed straight for her.

The man raised an eyebrow upon seeing the young housekeeper gawking at him. "Excuse me...is Lady Une home?" he asked.

His voice sent shivers up Usagi's back. She didn't even hear the question, she was so completely lost. The man had to repeat himself twice more before she finally drifted back down to Earth.

"Um...huh? Oh, I mean, no. She won't be back until tonight," she answered bemusedly.

A look of disappointment and exasperation crossed the handsome man's face. "I see. Will you tell her I was here?"

Usagi nodded slowly. "Uh-huh...who are you?"

After a moment of hesitation, the man smiled. If it was at all possible to melt any more before the man, the maid did. Leaning forward as if sharing a secret with the young woman, his voice dropped to a whisper. "I used to be a prince of the stars, but now..."

"Yes?" she murmured, realizing how kissable his lips seemed.

"I am Wind."

Pulling away, the man didn't say another word. Turning around, he returned to his car, got in, and sped away, leaving Usagi standing alone in the driveway.

She didn't think about Motoki for the rest of the day.

**New York Spaceport**

He was sitting alone in the spaceport bar, drinking not alcohol but just a glass of water. A laptop was open on his table and he appeared to be composing an email of sorts. The light reflected off his Prussian blue eyes and seemed to make them light up behind his curtain of brown bangs. A slender man but attractive enough, it was a wonder he was alone and not with some cute girl.

Ah, but wait.

A woman had stepped into the bar from the main concourse. Far from behind a "cute girl," she was tall, sharply dressed, and in a word, beautiful. Long ivy-colored hair pulled away to reveal a pale face emphasized by dark red eyes and a serious expression. Going to the young man, she sat down at the table across from him and set her briefcase on the surface.

"What took you so long?" the man asked, not looking up.

She didn't look at him either, but pulled out a manila envelope and slid it across to him. "The flight was delayed. I can't stay."

"That's fine," the man replied, finally meeting her gaze for a moment before taking the envelope. Opening it up, he raised an eyebrow in surprise. "The White Fang killer?"

The woman nodded. "The Preventers put out a reward early this morning. I thought you could use a challenge. You've seemed a bit bored lately."

"If you say so," he answered, closing the envelope. "How long will you be in New York?"

"The whole week. Can I meet you on L1 next Sunday?" she asked, getting to her feet.

He nodded. "I'll call you if I make any breakthroughs."

"Thank you," she replied. "Take care."

"You too."

She walked away.

**L3**

"So tell me, Mr. Winner. Doesn't it feel good to be bad?" Duo teased as they stepped out of the cab. The blond man rolled his eyes.

"Please don't remind me, Duo. I'm really tempted to call up my secretary right now and--"

"Do it and I'll chuck your phone into the nearest four-way intersection," his friend remarked brightly.

The circus grounds were mostly quiet this time of day. The main tent was closed off and the midway deserted. Indeed, there was no sign of anyone, save the sound of a motorcycle engine revving.

Duo shot Quatre a look. "Hear that?"

His friend nodded. "Yeah...I don't remember the show featuring motorcycles though..."

The braided man's indigo eyes glittered as he grabbed Quatre's sleeve. Dragging him into the rehearsal yard behind the main tent, the pair saw huge spherical cage set up in the center of the grassy area. The sphere was constructed of several metal panels, one of which was folded down to create a ramp. And as the sound of the engine revving grew louder, a motorcycle sped up the ramp into the globe, where it was shut inside by the curly-haired woman standing beside the ramp.

When she turned and saw the pair gawking at the spectacle, a smile crossed her face. "Duo! Quatre!"

Quatre smiled at the woman. "Catherine, how are you?" he asked, embracing her tightly when she ran over to them.

"Good!" she replied, going from Quatre to Duo, who was still staring incredulously at the stunt in the motorcycle. Catherine followed his gaze. "Amazing, isn't he?" she asked.

"Incredible," Duo agreed. "Who the hell is he?"  
"His stage name is Angel. We don't know his real name. He showed up a couple of weeks ago wanting a job. When the boss asked for a demonstration, even Trowa was impressed. He's debuting tonight."

The three watched the man on the bike circle the inside of the globe for about five minutes. Not only did he move in lateral circles, but he even went over the top of the cage, turning upside down. Upon some unspoken signal, Catherine returned to the cage and unlatched the ramp. It crashed to the ground just in time for Angel to speed out and screech to a halt in front of the onlookers.

Removing his navy helmet, the man revealed a startlingly feminine face. His sandy blond hair was messy and obscured his eyes, although when he brushed it out of the way they saw they were deep sapphire. Suddenly, the shy look on Catherine's face made a lot more sense.

"Great job, Angel. People are going to love you," she murmured, coming up beside him.

Looking over his shoulder at her, he smiled coolly. "I hope so." Turning his attention back to the men in front of him, he tilted his head slightly. "Who are you?"

"We're Trowa's friends. I'm Quatre Raberba Winner, and this is Duo Maxwell," the blond introduced.

Angel raised an eyebrow. "Head of the Winner family? Impressive. I'm Angel."

"Angel!" another voice called. "Boss wants to see you."

Quatre whirled around. "Trowa!" he cried joyfully, racing towards the taller man and throwing his arms around him. Angel gave Catherine a look. She only smiled back.

"Quatre always acts like a kid around Trowa," Duo explained, walking over to clap his friend on the shoulder. "Hey man, what's up?"

Trowa smiled, an event that always seemed to happen more often around his friends. "What are you guys doing here? Quatre don't you have work?"

His friend turned slightly red. "Well, um..."

"Aw, he just wanted to see you!" Duo grinned. "Me too. Plus, looks like you've got a great show lined up for the night. So how about some free tickets?"

"How about I let you watch from backstage as usual?" Trowa replied.

"Do we get folding chairs?"

"Do you ever?"

"I missed you."

The afternoon was spent catching up and politely bearing a pre-show meal prepared by Catherine (who still, after all these years, could not cook to save her life). When the performers left to get ready, Duo and Quatre settled in one of the wings to wait for the show to start.

Then, out of nowhere, Duo was yanked backwards by the braid, right over a wooden crate and onto the floor.

"DUO MAXWELL!"

Groaning, he opened his eyes to stare into the enraged green eyes of a young woman.

"Mako, what are you doing?" another woman cried out, racing to her friend's side and trying to pull the fallen man's braid free of Mako's iron grip, but to no avail.

"What the hell, Duo? Six months and you don't call?!?!?!"

Quatre stared at the scene confusedly. "Wait...Duo, do you know this woman?"

Duo, unfortunately, was still trying to pull his hair free. "Makooooooooo! You're hurting meeeeeeeeee!" he whined. "I'm sorry I didn't call! But I lost your number, and--"

"Stupid excuse," she grumbled, but let go nonetheless. "Come on, Ami. Let's just buy tickets. I'm not hanging out back here with a jerk like him."

"Mako, wait, please!" he called, but she was already dragging her friend towards the door.

The blond man came up behind him. "Old girlfriend?"

Duo sighed. "Something like that. She's a friend of Trowa's. Owns the cafe down the block."

"Let me guess. You slept with her, then took off without a word?"

The braided man nodded, then hung his head.

"You should've called her."

"I know."

Author's Note:

Sorry this has taken so long to update everyone. Things have been kind of crazy lately. If you want weekly reports on the progress of my fics, you can check out my LJ (click the "homepage" link on my profile). I've got some other fics & original work there too. end shameless plug

PS: Good to be back y'all!


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